Holiday Land

Isabelle had her first dance performance Friday night. There is only one other girl in her class and the two of them did so well. They looked so tiny up on the stage but at the same time I couldn't believe how big she is.

We took our video camera to record them dancing but didn't realize until the number before hers that the battery was totally dead. So all we got were some still shots.

Isabelle is really enjoying dance and I have a feeling this is something she'll stick with for quite a while.

We were so proud of her!

The Latest

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with 3 different meals to spend with our families. We have a lot to be grateful for, we have a healthy child with another on the way. A wonderful husband who treats Isabelle and me like royalty. And a wonderful home filled with love and memories.

Here's a few pictures from Thanksgiving...

Isabelle had an incredible time with the snow, she wanted to go outside and play every opportunity we had. Luckily she was given an awesome snow suit last year for Christmas that fits perfectly this year. Even though she looks and moves like a giant marshmellow she was entertained for hours.

Delainey came to town for a quick visit this past weekend. We didn't get to see her much but Isabelle sure had a blast playing with her cousin. They got along so well and Isabelle wanted to do everything that Delainey was doing. They were so cute together!

It's a Hard Rock Life

Brady won an all inclusive trip for two through work to the Hard Rock Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Bad news for me is I'm past the time I'm allowed to fly during pregnancy :( So he took his friend Shane and they just got back yesterday from a 5 day vacation in paradise! They went snorkeling, golfing and from what I hear they may have gotten into some trouble if they were caught. Boys will be boys.

Here's a few pictures from their trip...

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Finally, a new post - it's been awhile!

Isabelle, like every year, picked out her costume. She was so excited when we were at the Halloween store and spotted the Foofa costume, she just had to have it. I'm happy for the last two years she's shown interest in what her costumes will be because it takes the stress and worry off of me!

This year she had lots of places to wear her costume: dance class, school parade, trunk or treat and trick or treating in the neighborhood. Here's a few pictures from some of the places she went in her costume.

So many people have asked me if she likes Foofa so much that I should take her to the Yo Gabba Gabba tour that's coming to town, well maybe, that is if I can talk myself into the spending money on the tickets!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!

 Some have asked about my pregnancy, it's still going really well and I feel great! No complaints so far and it seems to be passing by pretty fast, and with the holidays coming up I have a feeling Mason will be here before we know it!

Oktoberfest

On Labor Day we enjoyed time together as a family at Snowbird for their annual Oktoberfest. We had such a blast and the weather was perfect. We're probably going to head up one more time before it closes!

3 Year Old Pics

We went down to the International Peace Gardens for Isabelle's 3 year old pictures this year.

Heidi did a terrific job - thank you so much! She's going to be moving soon out of state and I don't know if I'm going to find a photographer as good as her.

The Princess is 3!

Isabelle turned 3 on Monday and she was so excited! We kept her birthday pretty low key this year, just spending time with our family and it was a celebrated for a couple of days. On Sunday we went to Jordanelle for the day to jet-ski and play at the beach. Isabelle had more fun at the beach than she did in the water. We put together a Hello Kitty cake to enjoy with our picnic and the candles wouldn't stay lit in the wind but one lasted long enough for her to blow out her wish.

On Monday she had school and felt very special that she got to take cupcakes to her class. After school I took her to Incredible Pizza for some food and of course the games. (The food there is awful by the way, but the games are great!)

Oh how I wish she'd stay this age forever, as each stage passes for her I keep telling myself that each one gets better and better but I know she's going to keep growing much to my dismay. The other night while we were eating dinner she closed her eyes and repeated 5 times, "I wish to go back home!" I have no idea where that came from or why she chose the dinner table to make that statement but it was the funniest thing she's done in a long time. People say that 3's are just as terrible as the 2's - I doubt that, but we'll see.

Thank you for the wonderful birthday gifts everyone - she enjoyed them very much!

WE LOVE YOU ISABELLE! :)

Summer Fun

The house is quiet, Brady's at work and Isabelle is taking a nap. Perfect time for me to catch up on all the things we've done this summer.

Isabelle had her first school program back in June, it was so cute to see all the 2 & 3 year olds following their teachers and singing their songs. Isabelle's favorite song was the "turtle" song. She knows all the words and the actions - it's too cute for words. This program made us decide that it's time to invest in a video camera, capturing precious moments like this are too important to pass up.

Brady's birthday was the day before Father's Day and what he wanted to do more than anything to celebrate the 2 events was to go to Lagoon. He had such a riot taking Isabelle on all the rides, there wasn't one that she was afraid of. Father's Day was the perfect day for Lagoon, we hardly had to wait in any line, which is perfect for an impatient 2 year old. Brady and Ashley also did the Catapult while we were there, it's the one that you sit in a cage and are shot up 200 feet in the air - it looked like a ton of fun, I would have done it if I wasn't preggo.

We went to the Shelton family reunion in Provo Canyon on July 3rd. I have not seen most of my family in 3+ years so it was fantastic that everyone was in attendance and to catch up and see their cute kids.

After the reunion was over my Uncle Mike gave Ashley and me 2 of his extra tickets to Stadium of Fire. We had to park a long way away but it was well worth it. Carrie Underwood did an amazing job and it made me go download some of her songs on iTunes. The fireworks were amazing too!

Isabelle's school class went to the Hogle Zoo for the day. They all had cute matching lion shirts that they made in class. School has been so great for us this past year, she has learned so much and I'm so happy that she's apart of this great program.

Isabelle started taking dance classes at the beginning of August. She's in a 3 year old class with only one other girl so they get a ton of one on one time with the teachers. She's taking tumbling, jazz and ballet. Brady takes her on Thursdays during his day off and it's quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do and something she looks forward to each week.

Isabelle and I went to Round Rock, Texas a few weeks ago to visit Chris, Heather and Ki. My Mom, Grandma and brother Brady joined us for the trip. They live in a great area and there was a lot to do to keep us and especially the kids busy, but boy was it HOT! The humidity is something I just can't get used to, it makes the heat really unbearable. Also, the bugs - wow, the bugs in Texas are huge. But nonetheless, we had a fantastic trip that included some great baseball games, delicious food and a ton of fun!

We went to Fetal Fotos to find out what we were having last week. The baby was kicking and moving around so much but the cord was between it's legs so we had to go back, but I'm happy to report that we are having a baby BOY! We couldn't be more excited. Mason Brady Beckstead will be joining us in January and I know Isabelle will be a perfect big sister. My pregnancy has gone really well so far, no complaints what so ever.

Last weekend I caught a bad head cold so I missed out on the Beckstead Family reunion in Bear Lake. Brady attended and said everyone is doing well. I wish I could have been there too!

My mom and I took Isabelle on Wednesday to get her first manicure and pedicure. She thought it was so much fun, she got to sit in a pink kitty chair while they did her nails. She chose a bright pink with glitter to "sparkle, shimmer and shine"! I can't believe how big she's getting, I can't call her my baby anymore.

Well I think that about sums things up. It was a long post, sorry, but thanks for hanging in there!

Ice Cream Fun

Isabelle and Jack were the best of friends last summer while Isabelle was spending Mondays with him last year. Now that she's in school at St. Vincents she doesn't get to see her cousins as often. They had a reunion sort of speak yesterday afternoon. They got to play together with Nora for 3 hours in the hot summer sun. The ice cream truck drove by while we were outside and of course they needed a cool treat. These were the best picture I could get of the 3 rugrats.